Crude, gold futures notch monthly gains

"Today was all about the Fed, but after the announcement and a lot of intraday volatility, we really didn't experience much net movement," said Schaeffer's Senior Equity Analyst Joe Bell, CMT. "The statement didn't really give us any surprises, and there wasn't a strong hawkish tone, so many people viewed that as positive." Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI) claimed yet another new technical milestone, but ended up finishing the session slightly in the red.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI - 15,499.54) rallied to a new record intraday peak of 15,634.32 during the morning hours of trading, but ended the day with a loss of 21.1 points, or 0.1%. UnitedHealth (NYSE:UNH) led the 12 advancing blue-chip components with a gain of 0.8%, while the 17 laggards were paced by American Express (NYSE:AXP) and Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ), both of which posted a decline of 1.9%. United Technologies (NYSE:UTX) remained unchanged. For the month, the Dow logged an advance of 4%.

The S&P 500 Index (SPX - 1,685.73) came within a hair's breadth of its all-time intraday high this afternoon, but shed 0.2 point, or 0.01%, by the closing bell. On a more upbeat note, the Nasdaq Composite (COMP - 3,626.37) hit a 12-year high of 3,649.35 before finishing the session with a rise of 9.9 points, or 0.3%. The indexes closed the month of June with gains of 4.9% and 6.6%, respectively.

The CBOE Market Volatility Index (VIX - 13.45) also ended higher, despite sinking to an intraday low of 12.94. The "fear gauge" edged up 0.1 point, or 0.5%, for the day, but was down 20.2% for the month.

A Trader's Take:

"Disregarding the Fed announcement, we actually saw some pretty big economic reports this morning," commented Bell. "Gross domestic product (GDP) growth and the ADP jobs report were both stronger than expected, showing signs that perhaps the economy is on slightly better footing than most have given it credit for."

MasterCard (NYSE:MA) revealed a second-quarter profit of $848 million, or $6.96 per share, up from $700 million, or $5.55 per share, in the year-ago period. Meanwhile, revenue climbed 15% to $2.1 billion. Analysts were expecting earnings of just $6.30 per share on sales of $2.0 billion. (Reuters)

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The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI - 18,288.63) headed higher out of the gate and never looked back, finishing at a record level -- up 155.9 points, or 0.9%. Twenty-six of the Dow's 30 components advanced, paced by a 2.6% gain at Visa Inc (NYSE:V). On the flip side, IBM led the four losers, giving back 0.9%.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI - 18,132.70) spent the entire session in the red, closing near an intraday low with an 81.7-point, or 0.5%, loss. Twenty-three of the Dow's 30 components headed south, paced by American Express Company's (NYSE:AXP) 2% decline. The Coca-Cola Co (NYSE:KO) led the seven advancers with its 2% pop. For the week, the DJI was 0.04% lower, but for the month, the blue-chip barometer surged 5.6%.

Outside of a brief stint north of breakeven near midday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI - 18,214.42) spent almost the entire session in the red, eventually settling with a 10.2-point, or 0.1%, loss. Of the Dow's 30 components, 13 closed lower, led by a 1.6% drop for Caterpillar Inc. (NYSE:CAT). McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD) paced the 17 advancers with its 1.7% gain.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJI - 18,224.57) spent time on both sides of breakeven today -- notching a fresh intraday peak of 18,244.38, before closing up 15.4 points, or 0.1%, at its loftiest mark on record. Of the Dow's 30 components, 15 settled lower, led by Intel Corporation's (NASDAQ:INTC) 1.4% drop. McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD) paced the 14 advancers with its 3.9% gain. DuPont (DD) was unchanged.